Australia (2009) Engage. Getting on with Government 2.0, some quotations …

The promise of Government 2.0

By embracing Government 2.0 we can:

make our democracy more participatory and informed

improve the quality and responsiveness of services in areas like education, health and environmental management, and at the same time deliver these services with greater agility and efficiency

cultivate and harness the enthusiasm of citizens, letting them more fully contribute to their wellbeing and that of their community

unlock the immense economic and social value of information and other content held by governments to serve as a precompetitive platform for innovation

revitalise our public sector and make government policies and services more responsive to people’s needs and concerns by:

providing government with the tools for a much greater level of community engagement

allowing the users of government services much greater participation in their design and continual improvement

involving communities of interest and practice outside the public sector — which offer unique access to expertise, local knowledge and perspectives — in policy making and delivery

more successfully attracting and retaining bright, enthusiastic citizens to the public service by making their work less hierarchical, more collaborative and more intrinsically rewarding.

Government 2.0 will be central to delivering on critical national objectives including delivering on our National Innovation Agenda — including the aspiration for a more innovative public sector. It will be central to addressing the desire of the Advisory Group on the Reform of Australian Government Administration to establish in Australia the world’s best public service which puts citizens at the centre of everything it does.4 It will be an important component of the Department of Human Services’ service delivery reform agenda.5 It can improve social inclusion. And it will enable us to make the most of our huge broadband investment, making Australia a more connected democracy.